The Trump-Putin summit will take place in a former Russian colony that the United States bought for $7.2 million in 1867. Here’s how the deal came together and why its legacy matters.
Tag: Catherine II, Empress of Russia
A Push to Remove Symbols of Imperial Russia Divides Odesa, Ukraine
A push to rename streets and remove statues associated with imperial Russia is dividing Odesa, whose identity is tied up in its history.
Vatican Tries to Clarify Pope Francis’ Remarks on Russia
The Holy See sought to calm an outcry over comments that some critics said were too close to President Vladimir Putin’s justifications for invading Ukraine.
Pope Francis’ Praise for ‘Great Russia’ Empire Draws Criticism
“Never forget the legacy,” Francis said in a video speech on Friday to young Catholics in St. Petersburg. “You are the heirs of Great Russia: Great Russia of saints, rulers, Great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire.”
Why Russia Stole Potemkin’s Bones From Ukraine
The 18th-century military commander and lover of Catherine the Great helped conquer Ukraine and looms large in the version of history the Kremlin uses to justify the war.
Odesa Is Defiant. It’s Also Putin’s Ultimate Target in Ukraine.
President Vladimir V. Putin knows that Ukraine’s fate, its access to the sea and its grain exports hinge on Odesa. Without it, the country shrivels to a landlocked rump state.
Catherine the Great Letter Supporting Inoculations Sells for $1.3 Million
In the letter, which sold at auction in London on Wednesday, the Russian empress called for widespread access to a precursor of the smallpox vaccine.